[qulevrius]

After finishing remodeling the nursery and rounding up a few latest jobs, it became clear to me that my miter saw is due for an upgrade.

The one I’ve been using for the past 3 years was the C10FSHC by Hitachi/Metabo HPT:

It was plenty for my needs as it replaced a 12” Admiral that I struggled with for nearly 2 years. But for the last couple of months I started having a distinct feeling that it isn’t nearly as good as it used to be for a variety of reasons, be it the depth of cut, the accuracy, its ability to hold calibration etc. Long short, I was shopping for an upgrade.

The criteria for choosing a new saw were: a) accuracy and reliability and b) sturdiness and weight (since it’s destined to be a jobsite saw).

My list of candidates included (in order of preference):

Bosch GCM12SD
Makita LS1219L
Delta Cruzer
DeWalt DW780

I couldn’t go wrong with the DeWalt. It’s a reliable, foolproof contractor slider with a middle-of-the-road price tag and all the necessary features. Yes, it’s a dirty screamer but who cares with a jobsite saw. The deal breaker was the footprint with the rear sliding rails. The rest were fine in every way but a price that was somewhat painful, except for the Delta - which is, essentially, a budget GCM12SD, but I’d also gamble with the quality. Speaking of GCM12SD, I was also put off by the weight; it scores a whooping 80+ lbs and I wasn’t looking for deadlifts on a job site.

As I was contemplating on how to explain to my better half why I have to shorten the family budget by $700+, a Craigslist listing caught my eye. This person was selling a brand new and still boxed Hitachi/Metabo HPT C12RSH2(S), for about 1/2 its store price. This model is a Gen 2 of the classic Hitachi C12RSH which I’m sure many of us are familiar with. Being naturally cautious about all things too good to be true, I still contacted the seller. Who promptly replied and a couple days ago I made the trip to pick it up. As it turned out he’s gotten a whole pallet of these through a liquidation sale, kept one for himself and was selling the rest.

First off I forgot what a big sucker a 12-incher is:

I’ll admit to having my doubts about the Chinese QA/QC, but straight out of the box the saw required zero calibration:

The things I like:

• Quality of manufacture. I haven’t noticed any burrs, stripped screws or cheap cracked plastic.
• An OK weight, not much heavier than my old saw.
• The cutting head handle is a straight-chop. Unlike the C10FSHC with its side mounted handle, this one is more precise with both the chops and the sliding cuts.
• It too, has the signature zero rear clearance that I liked so much about the C10. But unlike the C10 the glide rails on the C12 are positioned on top of ea other, eliminating the runout on sliding cuts.
• The table is rock solid and the detents are crisp with zero play.
• As with all Gen 2 Hitachi saws it has an adjustable ZCI that can be set to 90 deg cuts or bevel cuts without damaging the insert.
• Rear blade guard. That’s a secondary zero clearance for the blade akin to a built in sacrificial fence.
• It’s plenty powerful for what I need. Cut through a 7/8” baltic birch piece with no effort whatsoever.

What I don’t like:

• Unlike the classic C12RSH it doesn’t have the angular micro adjustment.
• Unlike my old C10 it has no LED light
• They could’ve designed it with a shadow line but opted for a laser.
• The table seems smaller than the DW780 but I could be wrong.
• The bevel stop/release handle is at the rear. Not that I’ll need it too often since a 12” blade has plenty of cut depth but when I do I’ll have to circle back like Jen Psaki.
• The dust chute is somewhat useless, I’ll have to buy/make a dust hood.

Final thoughts:

On a scale of 1 to 5 I’d give it a solid 4.8 with points deducted for the bevel stop/release handle and the dust control. The rest I can live with. All in all I’m quite happy with the saw and would definitely recommend it, especially if it can be found for less than $300.


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[WIHaltom]

I just bought a Dewalt DWS780 to replace my Hitachi 12" non-sliding miter saw.
I had the Hitachi for about 5 or 6 years and the laser guide never would stay adjusted.
Also had trouble keeping the angles accurate.
Although this seems to be a problem with most miter saws.
I had used a Harbor Freight 10 sliding miter saw before the Hitachi and I found myself going back to the HF saw when I needed to cut anything over an 8" board.
So I bought the DWS780 and so far, I am happy with it. The cut-line feature is really nice.

 

[qulevrius]

I just bought a Dewalt DWS780 to replace my Hitachi 12" non-sliding miter saw.
I had the Hitachi for about 5 or 6 years and the laser guide never would stay adjusted.
Also had trouble keeping the angles accurate.
Although this seems to be a problem with most miter saws.
I had used a Harbor Freight 10 sliding miter saw before the Hitachi and I found myself going back to the HF saw when I needed to cut anything over an 8" board.
So I bought the DWS780 and so far, I am happy with it. The cut-line feature is really nice.

I’m in a somewhat different category because for me it isn’t a hobby anymore. I’m being paid to make sawdust and my tool choices are dictated by necessity. So yeah, while a DW780 is a cookie cutter contractor tool and I couldn’t go wrong with it, the moment I had an opportunity to get a C12RSH-esque saw, I jumped on it. So far, no regrets.


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